Let me apologize in advance for what is probably going to be a long-winded "testimonial".
Hello, Folks... from south Texas.
As of a month ago, I had zero interest in looking for gold. And being as up until that time, I had never watched a single episode of any of the "gold shows" on tv, I didn't even know that there was really enough gold in the continental US to bother looking for it. I've worked in refineries and in the oilfield for the vast majority of my working life. I am currently "retired". And BORED to tears.
Then, about a month ago, a single random comment by the landowner of a hunting lease that we hunt on in the Texas hill country changed everything. She stated that last year following a flood that she was down in the creek and she looked down and thought she had seen something glittering that looked like gold. Nobody really responded, and the conversation turned to "What's for breakfast?".
But I couldn't get the thought out of my head. So I'm on my phone later that day, researching the possibility of "gold in Texas". Well, I found out that although we may have a lot of "black gold" the yellow stuff is pretty scarce around here! But while researching, I came across a video of a guy in Colorado running a highbanker. Then another guy, panning. To put it mildly, I was intrigued... actually, I believe at that point in time I was INFECTED. Terminally. I found myself watching video after video of people prospecting and mining gold through various methods. In the last month, I have watched a minimum of 50 plus hours of YouTube videos and read countless pages of info on the subject of gold prospecting. I feel nosy, but I have been on multiple "gold club" forums, reading member's comments to one another. It's as if I've really gotten gold fever... and never even found a flake! I have since ordered and received three gold pans, a snuffer/sniffer? bottle, a magnifier, tweezers, a 1/2" classifier, built my own 1/4" classifier and headed back to the Texas hill country,filled up six buckets from various parts of the creek and panned through it. All to no avail... which is pretty much what I expected. And due to my inexperience, I probably would have missed any gold had there been any. Which leads me to today... I am currently writing this while sitting here at discount tire, getting new tires for my truck in preparation for a trip to Colorado. I have gathered up a dozen 5 gal buckets and lids from Firehouse Subs along with the other items I mentioned. I haven't purchased a sluice or anything else, because I want to talk to someone with some experience before I do anything else.
I am willing to join a club, but do not really know which one to join. A couple of them seem to have a considerable amount of internal drama. I just want to head to Colorado, find a place to pitch a tent by the side of a creek and spend a couple two or three weeks looking for some gold. I'm 52 years old, divorced with two children, both grown, currently in a relationship with a very sweet, understanding lady for ten years plus... she's still working but doesn't mind if I take a "leave of absence- she knows I'm going crazy here at home. I have an abundance of free time on my hands for the foreseeable future, and I am ready for a little adventure. I would head out right now, but I'm afraid I would find myself standing in a stream with no gold, bumping shoulders with tourists, or worse, on somebody else's claim, violating the law, or perhaps eaten by a bear.
I've camped and hunted my whole life... but here in south Texas, I'm at the top of the food chain- not so, in Colorado. I'm sure there's all kinds of things that I haven't taken into account as far as preparing for camping in Colorado. Kind of hard to admit for a person like myself who has always been very independent, at home in the woods, an experienced hunter... but I need a babysitter! Or a very understanding partner. I'm free and willing to work, ready to learn... and totally LOST.
I don't even know what's "do-able"..., so I don't know what questions to ask about this gold stuff. So I'll just throw this out there, and y'all can tell me if I'm nuts... Here's what I WISH for...
I want to head to Colorado, camp by a river or somewhere near a place where I can look for gold. I'm willing to buy a sluice or a small highbanker... I just need advice on exactly WHICH one, if either, to get. I'm willing to pay to camp if necessary. I'm willing to team up and share costs with someone. I'm not looking to get rich... But I also don't want to drive a thousand miles to Colorado and not at least LEARN something. Well, my truck's ready... so now I'm heading to Toyota to get an alignment.
Now I'm at Toyota...
I'm actually writing this in my "notes" on my phone, so I can copy and paste it to some club's forum later- I don't even know if I can post anything on a forum yet, unless I'm a member ...
Here's my email address...if anyone cares to contact me. Anyone who cares to email me, I can then give them my phone number so we can talk in person if they wish.
Again, sorry about writing an entire novel...
Cwdjr34@aol.com
Hi Chuck,
Welcome to the forums. Here in Colorado, the majority of the gold comes in the form of flour gold. It's quite fine and takes some practice to become proficient at recovering it. Much of what we call the mineral belt has existing claims, and unless you have comprehensive knowledge of land status research and locating existing claims, I wouldn't recommend just heading out to any creek and panning. The good news is there are plenty of places in Colorado that allow prospecting. The two areas I would focus on are Cache Creek along the Arkansas River and Clear Creek above Golden, Colorado. Cache creek is BLM managed land that has been withdrawn from mineral entry (no claims can be filed) but allows for non motorized prospecting. Clear Creek is part of Jefferson county open space and allows panning, sluicing and dredging. There is ample gold in both places and both are good areas to practice panning and sluicing. Spring runoff is starting and most creeks and rivers will be running quite high for the next 6 to 8 weeks.
Jason
Hey, Jason... thanks for the info! I'm also new to these "forum" things. I was just "winging it" when I posted my opening statement... I wasn't sure it would even post. And now, I'm wondering if it posted in the right place, and I'm also wondering if my response to your reply is going to show up in some oddball place...
Anyway... I'll figure it out eventually. Again, THANKS!
Chuck
I second everything these fellas say and don't worry much about the wildlife eating you. You have a better chance of hurting your back, sticking a pick in your foot, getting blistered hands or a sun burn, or just plain dehydration than being a varmints meal for the day hehe.
Even tho I know the stats I still carry a firearm and I think it's naive not to.
It only takes ONE encounter to make your day suck real bad and it just takes a loud "BANG!" in most cases.
Someone asked me if I carry a gun because I'm paranoid.
I said no, I don't need to be paranoid. I have a gun.
The old timers said never take a knife to a bear fight......
Welcome Chuck! We've all been there once... and as you warned above, be warned, it is a progressive "disease." before you know it, you'll have a 4" dredge and be spending your whole summer on the creek ;)
Plenty of spots to camp and prospect around Colorado for free. And as also mentioned above, don't spend a bunch more money until you get a feel for what you'll need for where you're working. If you end up hooking up with folks up here, many will have a spare sluice you can use to get a feel for it.
Hi Chuck and welcome to the forums! Welcome to the world of prospecting and congratulations on your retirement as well!
Colorado is a great state to learn about and practice some prospecting too, best of luck on all your prospecting this year.
As you can tell we have a super group of folks here who are very helpful with info always. Great work everybody!
I agree to, your gold fever may get worse so be warned on that ahead of time and it may even parlay into many more minerals that you enjoy prospecting for in the future too.
Although club membership isn't going to be something you may need for a single trip........if you happen to decide prospecting suits your future then club membership will be very well worth getting for your prospecting adventures and success on them all. Just let us know anytime if you have questions about the club memberships. Details can be found from the link in my signature image if needed.
For "camping along side a creek" both Cache creek and Clear creek open space described here will not work for that, but you will find some nice colors/gold at either of those spots and camping can be found not all that far away.
I'd also like to add here that there are a couple club members who hold claims with decent gold and small creeks, and they also invite club members to visit their claims at times ..... either of them would suit your trip perfectly should the time frames fit together for your trip.
Jump right in where ever you feel like it around the forum.
CP...
Thank you sir, for the warm welcome! Yes, I can already tell that this club has good people in it. They've already made me feel very welcome and I look forward to someday meeting them in person.
I've gotta mention something right quick... After getting your response, I looked at your profile and noticed your date of birth and that you are 51 yrs of age. Well, it reminded me that I, too, was born in '65 and haven't had my birthday yet this year... I had mistakenly posted earlier that I was 52 when in fact I'm only 51! Best news I've had all day!
Anyhow, I'm probably gonna be signing up for a membership in the next couple days. I'm waiting for my son to come by the house to make sure I can get the payment and everything to go through over the Internet. He's my "go to" on all things electronic...
Again, thanks. And thanks to everyone else on here as well. It's nice to be reminded that there are still some "regular folks" out there who will offer a kind word to a fellow man, though they've never met.
When I turn 50 I'll have my first colonoscopy to look forward to before I head off to work for the day.
Ok folks... I'm now sitting at Toyota in Brenham, Tx. I've gotta few minutes (probably HOURS), so I thought I'd mention something that happened a couple days ago, and perhaps someone with some experience can help me out.
I received a "sample pak" from Felix Paydirt. I set up to pan it from a 14" pan into a larger pan. The sample packet is about a teaspoon of material. I empty the packet into my pan and introduce water. I lift the pan up to look at it, and instantly a see what I can only describe as glittering dust, ALL OVER the pan bottom. You really can't even see a particle- just a glimmer in the sunlight. It has a yellowish tint to it, so I'm thinking... gold dust? The second I start the panning motion, I notice these glittering particles immediately start working their way up the riffles. Well, this is going to be IMPOSSIBLE. I mean the sand (tan in color, with a few grains of what I guess to be "black sand") doesn't even move, but these glittering "gold" particles ride up the riffles like stampeding cattle. Well, keep in mind, that this is literally the first raw gold I've ever laid eyes on... and I don't want to lose ANY of it! Well, after several minutes of starting, stopping, and "re-stratifying" it, I realize that I am just gonna have to let the "gold dust" go, because it starts to move before even the sand does. So, anyway, I pan this out, say bye to the dust, then the tan sand and 8 granules of black sand, and end up with 3 flakes of gold. I'm happy but frustrated at my inability to stop the gold dust from heading out. I go inside and start reading and watching videos and come to the conclusion that HOPEFULLY the "gold dust" was actually mica. Because if it wasn't, I'm HORRIBLE at this. I expect a long "learning curve," but... I mean, the very second you move the pan even a little bit, this stuff was dispersing EVERYWHERE... I've received a two pound packet of paydirt for 30 bucks, but I ain't about to touch it, if I'm really this horrible at panning. I had no problem with the three VERY small flakes but if that was really gold... what a waste! What say you folks?
After reading my previous post, I feel I need to clarify something...
After putting the sample pak into the pan, I introduced the water, made a few circular and back and forth motions to stratify. I tilted the pan forward to get everything (remember, only a teaspoon of material) down into the front "v" of the pan. It was at this point that I first looked into the pan. The tan sands and everything else was in the "V"... but the "gold dust" looking stuff was all over the bottom of the pan. I don't know if that helps or not but I was worried I had made it sound like the sample was nothing BUT the "glittering" material, and completely devoid of sand...
After reading my previous post, I feel I need to clarify something...
After putting the sample pak into the pan, I introduced the water, made a few circular and back and forth motions to stratify. I tilted the pan forward to get everything (remember, only a teaspoon of material) down into the front "v" of the pan. It was at this point that I first looked into the pan. The tan sands and everything else was in the "V"... but the "gold dust" looking stuff was all over the bottom of the pan. I don't know if that helps or not but I was worried I had made it sound like the sample was nothing BUT the "glittering" material, and completely devoid of sand...
Sounds like you are seeing mica or pyrite in the pan Chuck. If the material is washing around easily with the water then it is likely not gold. Gold should try to stay put more than all the other material in the pan. The black sand should move more easily then the gold. When the material is agitated or stratified the gold should be working toward the bottom and not the top. Sometimes the lighter material wants to stick to the pan. I recommend washing your pan with dish soap before panning. I also like to add a drop of soap into the pan with the material to prevent stuff sticking to the pan and it helps keep any material from floating on the surface. Small gold flakes will sometimes "float" on the water from surface tension. This happens more often when starting with dry material.
Hope this helps!
Make sure your pan is seasoned well too. The factory oils on the pan, greasy or sun screened fingers are all it takes to change surface tension. A drop of soap works wonders like Mike said. YouTube can teach ya.
Gold is so much heavier it's sinks immediately so have faith that it's buried at the bottom. It's actually not easy to lose gold like most people think so just practice with your gold and add more material as you get better. You'll be amazed at how easy it stays in the pan really.
Also learn the "tap and wash" on Docs video. There are good videos on YouTube and Doc from Gold Hog and Jeff Williams have tons. Doc talks and waves his hands around more than I can usually stand to watch but it's good info and I rarely need to keep my concentrates after learning that technique!
Your pan is your most important tool so practice until you feel good about it and you'll get much faster too. I probably use my pan more than any other tool besides my shovel!
You'll have an advantage learning all you can before your trip like your doing so you can just get on the gold and not mess around! Good job studying up!
JB300...
Thanks for the info. I've watched endless hours of YouTube videos, and will continue. And I remember the exact video you're referring to with "Doc" seperating the black sands from the gold via that "tap" method. I remember him stressing the importance of keeping your "non-pan holding hand" still, and actually tapping the pan into the hand, rather than tapping the pan with your hand. It's good to be reassured by experienced people that I'm on the right track. Being as I'm so far away from where there's actually any likelihood of finding any gold, and ZERO chance of finding any like-minded individuals to share ideas or discuss the subject with, you guys on here are all I've got! I've mentioned to a couple family members and friends what I'm wanting to do, and they look at me like I'm nuts! So, just let me know if I start bugging you folks too much with questions or get off-subject too often, or perhaps post topics in the wrong place... just know that I'm pretty excited about learning this stuff and one can only watch so many videos before they feel they need to talk to an actual living, breathing person. Someone that is already doing what I can only hope to do someday. You've got to know that the mountains and streams full of melting snow in Colorado, with gold in them, seem a LONG ways off to a man down here in south Texas- where it's almost 90 degrees and I'm surrounded by land so flat that I can see fifteen miles in any direction.
Not sure what a teaspoon of paydirt is gonna teach you. you actually determine of any of it was gold? Once you know how gold acts in a pan, there is no mistaking it. Find some good paydirt and practice with it. We've got more small stuff here in Colorado than anything, so find something that has like material.
This place has good reviews from what I've seen and gives a good return for your money. No personal interest, just one of the places I've never heard anything bad about. Not sure how fine their gold is, but they do make sure you get some good stuff. http://www.goldbay.com/paydirt-for-sale/
As mentioned above, panning is the most basic and essential skill you'll need, so glad yo hear you're practicing!
Once you get the feel of the pan try shaking more aggressively and washing larger amounts off the top faster and experiment with just how fast you can actually pan a bucket of material down.
Like I said, you'll be surprised at how well the gold is retained and protected underneath and how fast you can pan down a bucket of material.
Throw your gold into a bucket and pan it all down a pan at a time just reducing to black sands each time and do a clean up at the end of the bucket. The gold should still be there pan after pan if you keep it at the bottom corner and in the bottom riffle.
You can get through a bucket pretty fast with a pan.
Lead is indeed a good substitute. You'll often find bird shot with your gold.
Get one of the big black mortar mixing tubs from lowes/hoe depot. They're great panning tubs. Don't forget a few drops of jet dry. Get some of the materiel from the creek you're checking out and mix up the materiel you're panning, so you're used to working different ,arterial.
Congrats on the club membership! Welcome!
Here is a decent video by Freddy Dodge about gold panning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCL6FKQZyoM
Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)